


The Quiet Moments

by AliceMayWrite



Category: Parks and Recreation
Genre: Cute, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Love, Missing Scene, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-25
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:28:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26112664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AliceMayWrite/pseuds/AliceMayWrite
Summary: Just some of the quiet moments between Leslie and Ben.
Relationships: Leslie Knope/Ben Wyatt
Comments: 20
Kudos: 49





	1. Some Moments

“I can’t believe you never wrote me a losing speech,” Leslie said that night, after they had _many_ hours enjoying each other’s company. After the party had wrapped up, and Ann and Tom had gone off together (a confusing notion for pretty much the entire group) the lovers had stumbled home, giggling and sharing soft kisses. But now they were calm.  
“Of course not,” Ben said instantly. “I didn’t need to.”  
“Your faith in me is… incredible,” Leslie replied, turning to kiss him. “And I can’t wait for you to _smash it_ up in Washington. They’re going to love you.”  
“I hope so,” Ben said with a grin. “I just… I’ll miss you like crazy.”  
“And I’ll miss you too! But it’s the right decision. You need to get your dream, babe.”  
“As long as you’re involved, I’m not too fussed,” Ben said with a chuckle.  
Leslie smiled. “Me neither.” Ben gave her a look. “Okay, _maybe_ council is a large part of my dream. But you are too! Always!”  
They shared another smile, before going in for one final kiss before bed.

***

“I can’t believe we’re going to have a family!”  
“Hell yeah, dude! Wait, are you drunk?”  
Ben hiccupped into his hand. “Slightly.”  
“Why are your lips _blue_? Is that something I should be concerned about? Is it due to lack of oxygen?”  
Leslie tried to leap up, but Ben quickly put his hand on her arm.  
“No, babe, it was this really weird blue wine I had.” He giggled. “It tasted… great.”  
“I bet,” Leslie said, sitting back down. The two grinned at each other. “I’ll have to wait nine months before you let me try it, though.”  
“Wow, that’s true. God I can’t believe it. This is insane!”  
“Not really,” Leslie said with a smirk. “It’s pretty straightforward how it happened.”  
Ben gave her a cheeky look. “Okay, true.”  
They went in for a long kiss, melting into each other. When they pulled apart, their gazes were soft.  
“Do you wanna…?”  
“Yep!”  
The two stood. Leslie winced. “Oh, by the way, Andy knows.”  
Ben raised his eyebrows. “Really?”  
“Yeah. I’m sure it’ll be fine!”  
Ben looked off into the middle distance, but then Leslie was pulling his arm and the bedroom door was closing.  
  
***

“Do you ever think about what would have happened if we had stayed broken up?”  
Leslie and Ben were lying in bed together. It was one of the first nights they had gotten alone in a few weeks, and it was a blessed relief. Having _one_ four-year-old was bad enough, but three? And with _their_ combined genetics? It was a miracle neither of them had died.  
They had made the most of April’s offer to look after the kids. “Fun Uncle Andy” and “Scary Auntie April” were the current favourite people in the house, and Leslie and Ben used that to their advantage whenever possible.  
“Not really,” Ben replied softly. “Why do you ask?”  
“I don’t know,” Leslie said, and Ben detected a wistful tone. “It’s just crazy. If we hadn’t have said screw it, and if we had followed the rules. I think that was one of the _only_ times I ever did that.”  
Ben snorted, and Leslie dropped the wistful act to give him a withering look.  
“Hey! What’s the laughing for?”  
“You’ve broken the rules a _lot_. You have a wild streak, Leslie.”  
“Oh do I?”  
“You do! And I love it! I have a feeling that’s part of the reason why Ron hired you in the first place. You stand up for what you believe in.”  
“And I believed that we would be perfect together.”

***

“What time is the party again?” Ben asked as he hurriedly did his tie in the mirror. And then Leslie was at his elbow and fixing it for him from behind _while_ doing her hair, because she was just wonderful like that.  
“Half an hour. I had to end my meeting with the senator early, but it will be worth it.”  
“I know it will, babe. Ann and Chris’ welcome home party.”  
“I know! All the years they were gone, I was planning it.”  
Ben gave her a look. “They’ve been gone… like _over a decade.”  
_“I know! That’s why I had the courage to blow off the senator!”  
The couple looked at each other, smiling. They were both decked out in their nicest clothes. Formal and classy, but Ben caught that Leslie had a waffle shaped pin in her hair, which only made him smile more. It was the little things that really stood out.  
“You look beautiful,” he told her.  
“As do you,” Leslie replied in a regal voice. Ben rolled his eyes fondly.  
“You ready?”  
“Hell yeah.”

***

They were old now. That’s what Leslie thought about, pretty much constantly. But not in a bad way. No, if anything, she was even happier. They were well into their seventies, and they were as busy as ever. Sure, the armed guards were always eager to help out, but she found that the two of them managed just fine.  
Ben came into the room.  
“Your tie’s crooked,” Leslie told Ben without turning around. Ben snorted.  
“How do you _always_ know?”  
“I’m magic!”  
“You must be.”  
Leslie turned around and the two smiled at each other. Their faces were worn, their hair grey. But those adoring smiles had never changed.


	2. Some More Moments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just some more.

“Honey?” Leslie called. “I’ve finished campaigning for today. I think Ann is doing well.”  
“That’s great,” Ben replied dully.  
Leslie sighed and walked into the living room. Ben was alone in there. Andy and April had long since gone to bed, since it was pushing one in the morning. Ben was sat staring at the blu-ray box set of _The X-Files_ , donned in his _Letters to Cleo_ t-shirt. Leslie felt a stab of guilt.  
“I’m sorry I’ve been working, babe.”  
“It’s fine!” Ben said, looking up to give her a smile. But it didn’t quite reach his eyes.  
“No, it isn’t,” Leslie said, moving over to join him on the chair. That meant that she had to sit on his lap, but that made him smile. Anything to make him smile. “You’ve given up so much for me,” she continued. “And I just… you’re so down, babe.”  
“I’ll spring back,” he promised. “I really will.”  
“I wish I could help you,” she whispered, kissing his forehead. He smiled at her, and pulled her in for a proper kiss. She responded eagerly. When they pulled apart, his eyes were shining.  
“You have helped. You always help.”  
Leslie sighed softly. “Good.” She looked down at the box set. “You wanna watch a few episodes?”  
“It’s super late, babe.”  
“One, then. I know you want to.”  
Ben grinned. “Okay, cool. Can I tell you my theories? You’ll like the interpretations I have. In fact I can just put the director’s commentary on, although we do differ on a few opinions. I’ll point them out to you when we get to those parts…”  
He kept talking, and while Leslie was only half listening, she couldn’t help but grin at the way his eyes were lighting up- such a nice contrast to how he had been before. She was glad to help.

***

Ben came into the living room and saw Leslie lying face down on the sofa. This was the third morning this week it had happened.  
Unsurprising, really, since it had been three days since Ann left. Ann and Chris.  
He was feeling the sadness, obviously, but it seemed like the friendship his wife and Ann shared surpassed most known relationships- they were unbelievably close.  
“Hey,” Ben murmured, moving over to stroke her hair. “You okay?”  
“Ugh.” Leslie sat up, and he felt a pang of worry when he saw how red her eyes were. “Not great. You?”  
“Well, I’m still hurting, sure,” Ben said as he gently made her skootch up on the couch.  
“He was your best friend,” Leslie lamented. “And now he’s gone.”  
Ben tried not to laugh. “He’s not _dead_ , Leslie.”  
“But he’s not here! He’s in Michigan with Ann. Beautiful Ann.”  
Ben pulled her in for a hug. “I miss them both. But we’ll still see them, and-”  
Leslie started crying again, so Ben stopped talking. Sometimes, words wouldn’t help, and the only thing he could do was hold her. He brought his arms tighter around her and, if she needed him to, he was never letting go.

***

“Hey,” Ben whispered, stroking her hair. “Ann’s nearly here. Are you awake?”  
Leslie roused herself in the hospital bed and gave him a smile. He swore that, in that moment, she had never looked more beautiful.  
“I’m half awake,” she told him. “Where are the babies?”  
“They’re in the ward,” he told her. He could tell she already missed them, and he did too. She also looked utterly exhausted- unsurprising, since she had just pushed three humans out of her. “How do you feel?”  
“I’m okay,” she replied, moving to sit up. “I’m sort of walking on air, actually.”  
Ben gave her a grin. “Me too. I’m so proud of you, babe.”  
“I’m proud of you too,” Leslie said, and Ben laughed.  
“What did I do?”  
“You let me squeeze your hand. And you also let me sleep for ten hours while you sat here.”  
“I was half here, half with the children,” he told her, and she nodded.  
“I’m glad they know their Daddy is as vigilant as ever.”  
He leaned over and gave her a kiss. The two of them shared a big smile.  
“They’re so perfect, Leslie.”  
“They are,” she replied. “I can’t believe it.”  
“Neither can I,” Ben whispered.

***

Leslie was sobbing on the floor and, in that moment, Ben swore he hated Ron Swanson.  
It had been going on for a while now- the fall-out in their friendship. It hurt Ben a lot, especially since Ron had been a great mentor to Leslie over the years. He didn’t understand it.  
“Honey-”  
“He _crushed her house,_ Ben. That’s it- we’re not friends anymore. And once I stop crying, I swear to you that you will never see me shed a tear over him _ever again_.”  
Ben didn’t doubt that. When Leslie got an idea into her head, that was it. He loved that part of her, but it also scared him slightly.  
He pulled her into his arms, his heart breaking as she continued to cry.  
“I _loved_ him, Ben,” she whispered. “I really did.”  
“I know,” Ben replied instantly, feeling a few tears himself. “I know, babe.”  
They sat on the floor for a while. And when she was done, she stood up with a steely look in her eye. Ben knew she meant business, and she also knew that there was a very slim chance that she and Ron would ever see eye-to-eye ever again. Maybe somebody should change that.

***

“You let me run.”  
Ben turned around to see Leslie giving him the softest look in the world. All the others were out in the courtyard with the kids, since Ann was popping open some champagne. But Ben had held back for a second, he wasn’t sure why. And now Leslie was talking to him, he realised why.  
“I did,” he said with a smile. “ _Of course_ I did.”  
“I love you so much,” she told him. “I can’t tell you how thankful I am.”  
“There’s no need,” he told her. “You deserve this more than anybody in the world.”  
“I may deserve _this_ ,” she said to him as she moved closer. “But I don’t know what I did to deserve _you_.”  
“I know the answer to that one,” he told her as he leaned in for a kiss, their lips less than an inch apart. “You were Leslie Knope.”


	3. Even More Moments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some more snippets in the lives of Leslie and Ben.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Decided to add to this, I was feeling soppy. Warning for some smut.

“Your tie is crooked,” Leslie told him. “It’s okay, let me.”  
Ben let out a long breath. “Okay, okay. How do I look?”  
Leslie stepped back to get the full picture. She had to smirk. “You look sexy as ever.”  
“Is sexy the right look? I mean, this is the first dinner with your _Mother_ , Leslie.”  
“You’d look sexy in anything. In fact, can you put on the Batman costume?”  
Ben rolled his eyes fondly. “We never did this get-together thing before we- err- broke up. Does she…” he paused to laugh. “I don’t know, resent me or anything?”  
Leslie looked at him, concerned. Of course she saw through his fake laugh.  
“Oh, honey. You don’t actually think that, do you?”  
Leslie moved over to him, rubbing his shoulders. Ben let out a long breath, and it felt like the tension was leaving his body.  
“I promise,” Leslie murmured. “That she does _not_ resent you. She agreed that us getting back together made me one million times happier. She loves you. Okay?”  
“Okay. Thank you.”  
“No problem, baby.”  
Ben chuckled. “Does she love me more than you love me?”  
Leslie laughed. “Oh, not possible. Not possible at all.”

***

With one final motion, Ben felt the pleasure hit. He was on top of Leslie, and she was underneath him, letting out a noise that he wanted to hear for the rest of his life.  
He let out a long, shuddering breath, and then he was rolling off her. But then he was very quickly pulling her to him, and the two of them lay together, sweaty and content.  
“I love you,” Leslie gasped.  
“I love you too,” he replied.  
They were panting, but once their breathing slowed, Leslie moved away from him and stood up. He had to appreciate how she looked- she _always_ looked incredible.  
“What are you staring at?” she asked coyly.  
He let out a low chuckle “ _You_. Obviously.”  
“Well,” she said. “I’m going to get a shower. How about you join me, and you can stare at me for even longer?”  
She didn’t even have to ask twice. She watched him jump out of the bed, energized, and the two of them stumbled into the bathroom, giggling. Then the hot water came on, steam filling the room, and they were appreciating each other all over again.

***

Ben never wanted to see her cry. And it made it worse, so much worse, if the reason she was crying was because of him.

They had had an argument- it didn’t even matter what it was about now, but it had involved Leslie taking it too far. Because, to be fair, she often did. But this time, it had really messed things up, and now as City Manager he was going to have to step in and sort it out.

“I can’t believe you did that!” he had roared. “You always do this! You’re so selfish!”  
Leslie had been angry, and shouting back, until that moment. Then it was like a switch had flipped, and the anger had turned into tears.  
Ben’s anger had very quickly fizzled out- it was instantaneous. It was like he could only be angry when she too was angry- when she wasn’t angry, he felt like a fool.  
“Oh, no,” he had murmured, instantly coming over to wrap his arms around her. “No- no no no. Don't cry. Please don't cry.”  
“Ben,” she gasped through the tears. “I’m so sorry.”  
“So am I,” he replied instantly. “I didn’t mean that, I was just angry-”  
“That must have come from somewhere,” she replied, sniffing. She looked so vulnerable, and Ben hated himself.  
“No, you just have a habit of- well, sometimes you take things too far. But you could never be selfish.”  
Leslie leant against him, and Ben thanked everything for her power to forgive.  
“Leslie, I’m so sorry.”  
“No, you were right. I did take it too far. I didn’t think about your feelings. I’m sorry.”  
Ben squeezed her tighter, kissing her hair. He loved her so much.

“I love you,” she whispered.  
“I love you too. I should never have gotten that angry, I just… I was really stressed.”  
“I know,” she replied. “It’s okay.”  
“No, it isn’t okay. How can I make it okay?”  
Leslie paused to consider. “We could eat waffles in bed.” Dramatic pause. “Naked.”  
“Honey, I don’t think that’s enough.”  
“Ben Wyatt, listen to me.” She leaned in. Her face was still wet from crying, but her eyes were sparkling now. “Waffles in bed, naked, is the perfect apology. Okay?”  
Ben let out a shaky laugh. “Okay.”

***

The first night that the triplets were home from the hospital, Leslie and Ben were almost too shocked to speak. There they were- three perfect babies, swaddled up and in the large cot that Ron had constructed for them.  
Leslie and Ben were stood next to the crib, looking down at them in awe.  
“That one looks like me!” Leslie whispered, and Ben couldn’t contain his grin.  
“They’re perfect,” he told her. “I am so, so happy.”  
“Should we maybe leave them to sleep?” Leslie asked in hushed tones. “If we wake them up and they all start crying again, I might start crying too.”

The two of them walked back into the living room but left the bedroom door wide open.  
“I could have looked at them forever,” Leslie told him, her voice a more normal volume. “But also, my ears are still ringing from when they were crying last time.”  
“We’ll get used to it, I’m sure,” Ben told her. She smiled and nodded.  
“God, I’m exhausted.”  
“Ugh, same here.”  
She flopped onto the sofa, and he flopped down beside her. She nestled into the crook of his neck, and he kissed the top of her head.  
“I love you so much,” he told her. “And I love our family.” He paused to laugh. “Our loud, excitable, crazy family.”  
“I love you too,” Leslie replied. “And it’s only going to get crazier from here.”  
“Good job I don’t mind. As long as they don’t destroy my original Star Wars VHS tapes, we should be good.” Leslie laughed, and he relished the sound. “Because we’re in it together, yeah?”  
Leslie smiled. “Of course we are. Always.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
